Youth Protests in Germany Turn Into Riots: Clashes With Police in Frankfurt, Berlin and Hamburg
On the evening of 31 October, youth demonstrations organised by the Gen-Z regelt movement turned violent in several major German cities. Clashes with police occurred in Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg and elsewhere, and dozens of people were detained.
Youth protests organised by the Gen-Z regelt movement (roughly "Generation Z decides") turned into riots in several major German cities on the evening of 31 October. Demonstrations took place in more than 30 cities, and according to the organisers, over 100,000 people took part. In the biggest cities, some participants clashed with police.
The protesters demand better education, action against the rising cost of living, stronger climate protection, and easier access to psychotherapy and addiction treatment. The organisers also oppose the introduction of compulsory military service and cuts to social spending.
Frankfurt am Main
In Frankfurt, a demonstration that began peacefully with 8,000–9,000 participants descended into looting and attacks on police officers, including with Molotov cocktails. An aggressive group broke into a gun shop and into a clothing and sneaker store, Snipes. Police confiscated two weapons from those who entered the gun shop.
Roman Poseck, interior minister of the state of Hesse, said the unrest was driven by about 100 violence-prone left-wing extremists among the demonstrators. Police checked the documents of roughly as many people and detained more than 30. Towards night, police brought the unrest under control using water cannon, armoured vehicles, a helicopter and drones, and closed part of the city centre. Hesse's minister-president, Boris Rhein, said the actions of the perpetrators and the composition of the groups would be carefully analysed before conclusions are drawn.
Other cities
In Berlin, one of two large rallies, attracting about 3,500 people, mostly from left-wing radical groups, turned into riots. Some participants threw firecrackers and bottles at police, set off fireworks, damaged property and violated weapons law. Police detained 56 people, and 27 officers suffered minor injuries.
In Cologne, police banned a march and allowed only a stationary rally, citing masks worn by some participants and the use of pyrotechnics, some of it thrown at officers. Water cannon were used at the end of the event. In Hamburg, some protesters built and set fire to barricades and threw bottles and stones at police. Protests ended similarly in Stuttgart and Bremen.
Wider context
The German protests are part of a wave of youth demonstrations that has recently swept other European countries, including France and Belgium. In Italy, according to organisers, more than a million people took to the streets on 30 October; after serious unrest in Milan, the authorities sent 500 soldiers into the city.
